SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California will become the first state to offer voter registration through its health insurance marketplace later this year.

Frederic J. Brown

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Citizens vote in Los Angeles County on Nov. 6, 2012.

Millions of Californians will get the chance to register at the same time they are buying insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment begins in October.

The Secretary of State formally designated Covered California as a voter registration agency this week.

A 1993 federal law requires states to designate agencies and offices that provide public assistance or disability services as voter registration agencies. A bill by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of Los Angeles that was signed into law last year allowed the exchange to have such authority.

Padilla says increasing voter registration will be good for the state because nearly 5.8 million Californians who are eligible are not registered.

Do we really have to deliver voter registration to people who are too stupid to figure it out by themselves and take the personal responsibility to register for themselves at the county registrar of voters? That tells me that our people are dumbed down, un educated, simply lazy , or just don't care anyway. I think the latter is very relevant these days.

Dizzy, I am afraid it will be worse than you think. Considering the group of people that will control this, it will be worse than Acorn running it. The current government system is so corrupt that it cannot be fixed. When your have a majority of the population on some sort of government handouts with voting privileges, they vote for people offering more handouts. Add to this millions of illegals, soon to be given amnesty and a vote. This country is toast. Any person with a strong work ethic and a brain should consider looking for a new country that respects hard work and restricts socialist types of welfare.Dizzy, welcome to the new United Socialist States of North America.

"When your have a majority of the population on some sort of government handouts with voting privileges, they vote for people offering more handouts."

M1,

The wealthy and privileged vote for policies that favor them. It's okay when they vote in their best economic self-interest, but baaaaaad when the underprivileged do it?!?! Would you feel better if voter registration were offered at Mercedes Benz dealerships?

I would feel a lot better if it went back to land owners. You know, the people who have a vested interest in the game. Not the drug-infested, welfare mongers who are bussed to polling places and paid for their vote with obamaphones.